Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book reviewer.
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We Christians spend a lot of time reading the Bible, hearing it preached, and meditating on its words. Why this commitment? We are committed to the Bible because of what it is and what it does. The Bible guides us to its purpose and power through the many metaphors it uses to describe itself. Here is a pretty good collection of them. Perhaps you’d do well to meditate on a few of them. The Bible is a lamp that illumines. …
I admit it: I use an electronic Bible. Better said, I use an electronic device that has a Bible app installed on it. Several years ago I put away my printed Bible in favor of Logos on my iPad. There is a lot I love about this: I love the convenience of being able to have my Bible with me at just about any time; I love the ease of needing just a single tap to take me from my …
They say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, that you can’t appreciate what you have until it’s taken away. Isn’t this why we sometimes imagine ourselves without the people we love? As we imagine their absence we grow in our affection. Perhaps we would grow in our affection for the Bible if we imagined it being taken away. When I was in Hawaii I was able to sit through a couple of classes on the history and …
This week the blog is sponsored by Crossway, who would like to introduce you to the ESV Scripture Journal. Reading and studying Scripture are pursuits that require the attention of both heart and mind. To love the Lord with all our strength, we must actively engage with Scripture—asking questions, learning contexts, making connections, and reflecting on personal applications of the text. Here are a few ideas on how to enrich your time in God’s Word: 1.Rewrite individual verses and passages …
With my arms still in quite a lot of pain through nerve damage, I’ve asked a few friends to step in from time to time. Today Paul Carter provides an excellent article on beginning a Bible-reading habit in 2018. If you intend to read through the Bible in 2018 now is the time to get started. Habits are not formed in a day – it takes a little bit of time and preparation. Here are a few hints and suggestions …
A new year is fast approaching and with it a new opportunity to dive into God’s Word. Here are some tips on getting started with a new Bible-reading program. Here’s the link to the program I recommend: Five Day Bible Reading Program. Transcript Welcome to another edition of 3 Minute Thursdays, where, in three minutes or less, I try to say something helpful, maybe even useful about a subject that’s of interest to Christians like you and me. Today we’re …
I wonder if you’ve noticed that over the past few years, our Bibles have gotten a little bit cluttered. Open your Bible and may notice it’s full of notes and footnotes and cross-references and other features. Each of these features is great, yet each one can also detract from the reading experience. Not surprisingly, we are beginning to see a bit of push-back with what are being called “Reader’s Bibles.” Here’s my review of a few of them in Facebook …
The Bible is a book—God’s book. Even a child knows this, right? Except that the Bible isn’t a book. Not really. The Bible was at first oral transmission passed from person to person, events and conversations observed, remembered, and shared. But it was still the Bible. Then the Bible was a collection of scrolls, each containing a single letter or history or group of psalms. But it was still the Bible. Then the Bible was a series of codices, large …
I love Bible studies. I love sermons. Both have their place and both can be tremendously beneficial in the life of the church and the spiritual diet of the believer. But I’ve observed that some sermons are actually Bible studies and some Bible studies are actually sermons. Though I will grant there can be a fine line between the two, I find it helpful to force myself to distinguish between them, especially when I am asked to lead one or …
Christians are people of the Word, men and women who live their lives according to its every precept. The Bible is the revelation of God to display his character and to show what it means to live in conformity to him. It is an inestimable privilege to have access to the mind and will of God. Yet while many people pay homage to the Bible, few love it. How can you know if your love for the Bible goes beyond …